Brennans Caddy Report-WGC Accenture Match Play Championship

The Northern Trust Open last week didn't turn out quite how I had planned, but without complaining too much we got the tough side of the draw. Because our tee time was late on Thursday, we played early on Friday when the winds were at their worst. I believe only 13 of the 72 guys from our side of the draw made the cut.  Over the years everything will balance out, but it is always tough to get a week like last week. It was just one of those weeks when things didn't go the way we had planned and the bounces didn't go our way.
 
This week we have our first World Golf Championship event of the year-the Accenture Match Play Championship, which will be played in Tucson, Arizona for the second year in a row. This event is one of the few times that we play in the match play format all year, which in my opinion, is a lot of fun and very exciting. It is also nice to come to Tucson and get some sunshine, as opposed to the bad weather in San Diego where the tournament was held for quite a few years. I spent a year here in Arizona after college working at a country club, so I really enjoy the area and have some friends left in the area. It is also very nice to have only 64 players in a tournament, as everything from parking to hospitality seems to run a bit smoother. The World Events also do a very nice job of making sure caddies are very well treated which is great.
 
This week's venue is the Gallery at Dove Mountain, which is technically located in Marana (just north of Tucson).  It is a property that has been around for 9 years but the two courses at Dove Mountain are both quite new. A new Jack Nicklaus course and a Ritz Carlton are being built on the property which are supposed to host the event next year. Needless to say, the property is a fantastic place to come play golf if you are ever in the area.

The course we are playing this year is the same as we played last year, making both Mike and I a little more comfortable as we are familiar with the course. The golf course is quite friendly off the tee but is very tricky around the greens. The greens are everything out here as they are huge with many different crazy slopes. Every green on the course has a large runoff area on at least one side, meaning you can just miss the green and the ball will roll 15 yards away down a hill. It is very similar to Augusta in the way the ball runs away from the greens. You can hit a great shot that looks good one moment, and then the next moment you are chipping from the bottom of a cliff.  It is very important to play the smart shots into the green, only getting greedy in the instances when it is imperative to get the ball close to the hole. From a fan's perspective, it is a great match play viewing course, as a lot of holes can be seen won and lost, making for lots of excitement. 
 
The course is in great shape once again this year, with fast rolling fairways and not much rough. The greens are a little softer this year than last, but they are rolling great and quite fast. This event is one of my favorites as I love to play in the match play format. We play so many stroke play events that this is a great change. The unpredictability is what makes match play so fun-it is just you and your opponent. There are times when you can play great and lose, and other times when you can play poorly and win. It is so important to get off to a good start and try to get the lead right away, as this makes the other player take some chances and force the issue a bit.

In this event there are four brackets; Jones, Hogan, Player, and Snead. We are in the Bobby Jones bracket playing Aaron Olberholser in the first round. Although Aaron hasn't played any golf this year due to injuries, he spent a lot of time on the Canadian Tour and has really elevated his game over the past few years. This is going to be his first event of the year so I have no idea how he will play. Our plan is always the same-play consistent golf and not make mistakes to give holes away. This will keep the pressure on the opponent throughout the match, which is exactly what we want. I am really looking forward to the week, but like they say in sports-one shot at a time or one match at a time!

Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy following the tournament!